Fearless Females - Trading Card

March 29 — Create a free Fold3 Memorial Page or a Genealogy Trading Card at Big Huge Labs for a female ancestor. Tell us about who you've selected and why and then post a link to what you've created.

I created this card at Big Huge Labs for my great-great-grandmother, Anna Rohrer Niehaus. I chose Anna for the card partly since I had a nice portrait picture of her, but mainly since I had so much fun tracing her family with my Niehaus cousin Marj! We still have some mysteries to solve with our Rohrer family, but we have learned a lot.

Anna's parents Albert Rohrer and Walburga Fischer were from Ellwangen, Germany. They were listed in Reading, PA in the 1850 census with their first child, Albert and a baby daughter Hannah that was born in Pennsylvania. Anna was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1851. By 1860, Anna's mother had remarried to William Gisler and the family was living in Auglaize County, OH. We don't know what happened to Anna's father or her sister Hannah. Another mystery is that we're not sure what happened to Anna's brother after 1880.

In the 1880 census, Anna is living with her brother Albert in Mercer County, OH. Anna married Henry Niehaus in 1881 and they had six daughters in Celina, OH. Anna died in 1938 in Celina. Her daughter Anna was my great-grandmother.

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Best Friends

March 28 — Do you remember your mother’s best friend? Your grandmother’s? How and where did they meet? How long were they friends? What activities did they share?

My mother and her best friend Laura met when we moved into our neighborhood in Florida. I was four years old and Laura's daughter was about the same age as me. They came over to introduce themselves shortly after we moved there and we all hit it off. My mother and Laura shared a lot of activities with the kids, including Girl Scouts, dance recitals, shopping trips and camping trips in the Florida Keys. Laura was always at the center of the activities and used to take us horseback riding and to the beach. We used to have a great Halloween celebration in the neighborhood and Laura's wicked witch with her big boiling pot was legendary! Laura passed away a few years ago and I know my mother still misses her.

The picture above was taken by my Dad on one of our trips to the Florida Keys. I'm in the sunglasses and my best friend is between me and my sister. Laura is behind us on the left and my Mom is on the right.

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Education

March 26 — What education did your mother receive? Your grandmothers? Great-grandmothers? Note any advanced degrees or special achievements.

I wrote earlier about my mother's education at Goldey College and her Aeronautical Secretarial course. I don't think any of my grandmothers or great-grandmothers went to school beyond high school. My 2x great-grandfather's sister Julia Creedan worked as a nurse and a teacher, so I would guess that she had some advanced education.

My paternal grandmother Anna Lee Pulskamp graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Celina, Ohio in 1928.

Anna Lee is shown above with her sister Emma Lee. The article to the right was published in the Lima News on June 2, 1928. Graduates were Pacifica Forathoefel, George Howick, Eugene Maher, Anna Lee Pulskamp, Emma Lee Pulskamp, Bertha A. Spieler, and Marcella Spriggs. The class motto was "'We' Did It". The flower was a white rose and the class colors were green and white. The baccalaureate was delivered by Rev. Edwin Kaiser, professor at St. Charles seminary and diplomas were presented by Father George, pastor.

Anna Lee's Certificate of Graduation was signed by Sister M. Redempta, Principal and Rev. George Hindelang, Superintendent.

The inside of the certificate showed her classes and grades. She certainly had a well rounded education and made 95 or above in all of her classes. I was especially impressed that she received a grade of 100 in German Classics Translations. That sounds tough!

Anna Lee used her training in typewriting and stenography to find work as a secretary at the Farm Bureau after graduation.

Fearless Females - Timeline

March 23 — Create a timeline for a female ancestor using your favorite software program or an online timeline generator such as OurTimelines. Post an image of it or link.

This is a timeline for Julia Creedan, the sister of my great-grandfather Timothy. Julia was born in 1842 in County Cork, Ireland and was living in Clinton County, Ohio by 1860. She entered the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870 and took her vows in 1872. Click on the timeline for a bigger graphic.

I looked at the timeline generated by OurTimelines for the years 1842-1918. Two big events that would have affected Julia's life were the Irish Potato Famine from 1845-1849 and the Civil War from 1861-1865. The telegraph, telephone, light bulb, X-ray, airplane, and radar were some major inventions that came into use during Julia's lifetime. The Irish Easter Rebellion was in 1916 and a major flu epidemic occurred in 1918, a few months after Julia died.

I have gaps in Julia's timeline from 1872-1888 and 1910-1918. I have not been able to locate her in the 1880 census, although I found a group of Sisters of Charity nuns that were all listed as Sister Mary! Since Julia took the name Sister Mary Felix, it is possible one of them was her. Sometime after 1910, Julia retired back to the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse in Mount St. Joseph, Ohio. She died there in 1918 and is buried in the Mount St. Joseph Cemetery.

I created the graphic for the timeline based on a tip from Heather of Leaves for Trees. Thanks Heather!

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Surprising Fact

March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out?

This was one of my original Fearless Female posts from March 19, 2011.

When I found my Willis great-great grandparents in the census, I talked to my Mom to see if she remembered any of her grandfather's siblings. She told me about her great Aunt George (Georgeanna) that she remembered from when she visited her grandparents as a young girl. Aunt George worked out on the farm with a couple of the Willis brothers and in the evenings she used to enjoy her whiskey and smoked a corncob pipe! We had a good laugh about it and were wishing that we had a picture of her. It's definitely not the kind of thing you'd find out from the census!

Updating to add the census with Georgeanna and my great-grandfather Eugene in June 1880. Georgeanna was 14 in 1880 and the family was living in Mispillion Hundred in Kent County, Delaware.

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Shining Star

March 18 — Shining star: Did you have a female ancestor who had a special talent? Artist, singer, actress, athlete, seamstress, or other? Describe.

This photo was a fun discovery from my father's slide collection. It shows my great-grandmother Anna Niehaus Creeden with three of her paintings, two of which I hadn't seen before. I knew that she used to paint, but the only painting we still have is the blue one with the boats in the upper right of the picture.

The photo of the painting pictured above was in the same set of slides and the painting is signed "A. Creeden".

These are a bit blurry, but I attempted to crop the paintings from the top photo.

It is too bad that the family didn't save more of her paintings, but I'm glad we have the one and the photos were a nice surprise. I wish some of that drawing and painting talent had passed down to me!

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Newsmakers

March 14 — Newsmakers? Did you have a female ancestor who made the news? Why? Was she famous or notorious? Did she appear in the social column?

When I first answered this prompt in 2011, I didn't know of any female newsmakers in the family. Since then, I've discovered a few fun items from the 1930s and 1940s in the Chester Times, Pennsylvania social column featuring my mother and her sisters. The article below is about a weiner roast my mother attended. It must have been a slow news day!

An earlier article was about a party my grandparents gave my mother for her seventh birthday and it listed 23 guests. The biggest surprise was an article about my mother and two of her sisters being admitted to the Sacred Heart hospital. My mother said they had their tonsils out at the same time. I've shared many experiences with my sister, but I'm glad that wasn't one of them!

I haven't found any female newsmakers on my father's side, probably since the paper where he grew up has not been digitized. When I answered this prompt in 2011, I was on the lookout for Siobhan Creedon Lankford's book, The Hope and the Sadness even though she is not directly related to my Creeden family. Her memoir recounts her childhood growing up on a small farm in County Cork, Ireland, as well as her activities during the fight for Ireland's independence. She was born in 1894, so I was especially interested in her stories about her Creedon family in rural Ireland. I just recently obtained a copy from a used book seller. The book starts with the story of her father Patrick Creedon's arrest for ploughing his farm after being evicted and his escape from the police, so it looks like an interesting read!

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Working Girl

March 12 — Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.

This is an updated version of my post from 2011.

My mother in DC in 1951

My mother worked at the Dupont Chemical Company during the summers while she was attending Goldey College in Wilmington, DE. After graduation from Business College, she moved to Washington DC and worked as a secretary for the NPA and Veterans Administration in the early 50's. She returned home and worked for General Chemical in Claymont, DE and then moved to Florida where she worked at the Patrick Air Force Base as an Executive Secretary. After marrying my Dad, she worked for NCR in Dayton, OH while my Dad finished college. She stayed at home when my sister and I were younger and then returned to work as a secretary when I was in high school.

I discovered a newspaper article in the Chester Times from 1949 that said my mother was one of 53 students on the honor roll at Goldey College. The article stated that she was cited for outstanding performances in the aeronautical secretarial course. When I asked her about the course she pulled out a picture I'd never seen before.

The Goldey graduates of the aeronautical secretarial course were treated to a trip to New York City sponsored by Eastern Airlines! My mother is the 4th from the left. I'm sure a good time was had by all! They certainly were dressed up for the occasion.

My maternal grandmother Edna Willis worked in a factory as a seamstress, along with a couple of her sisters. They had moved from Maryland to Lansdale, PA to find jobs and she met my grandfather while working at the factory. According to the 1930 census, my paternal grandmother Anna Lee Pulskamp was working as a secretary for the Farm Bureau in Ohio at the age of 19.

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Family Document

March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

This is a marriage license for the marriage of Hannah Creedon and Richard Egan on February 14, 1899 in Clinton County, Ohio. I don't know if Hannah is directly related to my Creeden family from Clinton County, but I thought the record was interesting for a few reasons.

The first thing that caught my eye was that Hannah's place of birth is listed as the Atlantic Ocean! As I was typing the date, I realized that they got married on Valentine's Day. Hannah is 34 in 1899, so that would indicate that her family came to the US in 1865. According to another researcher's notes, her parents Timothy and Hanora were married in 1854 in Clondrohid Parish in County Cork, Ireland. This is the same parish that my Creeden family is from and the spelling of Creedan seemed to be common in this family too. The notes also indicated that Timothy died on the ship, as well as his son Daniel.

So, here is another Creedon family with ties to Clondrohid that settled in Clinton County, Ohio. I gathered a lot of information on this family that needs further investigation, so I am adding that to my "To Do" list.

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Letter and Einstein Sighting!

March 8 — Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.

This is an updated version of my 2011 post with images of the letter added.

I don't have too many letters from my female ancestors and nothing like a diary or journal. I recently acquired a letter written on July 11, 1970 by my step-grandmother Hilda Kleinhenz Creeden. She was born in 1903 in Mercer County, Ohio and died in 1990. She contracted tuberculosis in her 20's and the letter is remembering her stay in a facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She lived to be 87 which was amazing considering all she went through. Here's an excerpt from the letter:

"Yesterday Miss Leona Wint and I had a little reunion. Out of 18 patients we knew in Albuquerque in 1930 when we were victims of the Great White Plague we are the only two left. We spent so many hours horizontally and so many hours vertically. During our stay there, the patients able to would go the Union Station to see what celebrity they could see on the back platform as the train pulled out. I was there the Sunday noon before I came home, guess who I seen, "Old Einstein". I was hoping to see some good looking Movie Star."

Thanks to Marj B. for sending me the letter!

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - How They Met

March 5 — How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents?

This is an updated version of my original post in 2011, including new information on how my grandparents met and new pictures.

My parents met in 1955 in Florida. My Dad, aunt, and uncle worked for RCA and my Mom was working for Pan American at Patrick Air Force Base. RCA had a boat ride event and my aunt and uncle invited my parents and introduced them to each other. Their first real date was to see a movie and play golf. I asked my Mom if he asked her out at the boat ride and she laughed and said, "No! I asked him!".

My grandmother Edna Willis worked in a factory as a seamstress, along with a couple of her sisters. They had moved from Maryland to Lansdale, PA to find jobs. Edna met my grandfather Royce Councill while working at the factory. My Dad's parents were Anna Lee Pulskamp and Robert Creeden. They were listed on the same page in the census in Celina, Ohio and attended the same school, so I would guess they knew each other as children.

My parents on their wedding day in 1956. My aunt and uncle are behind them.

My sister and I had another batch of my Dad's slides digitized last year and discovered a couple of pictures of my Mom in her wedding dress that we hadn't seen before. In case you're wondering about the shorter dress, it was August in Florida before the days of A/C!

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Marriage Records

March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one. 

St. Vitus Basilica, Ellwangen, Germany

Several generations of my Rohrer ancestors were married at the St. Vitus Basilica in Ellwangen, Germany. The records I have go all the way back to my 5x great-grandparents in the 1700s, starting with Catharina and Johannes Rohrer.

The record below is for the marriage of Albert Rohrer and Walburger Fischer on October 19, 1846 in the St. Vitus Basilica. Their son Albert was born in Germany in 1847 and their daughter Anna was born in 1851 in Philadelphia, PA. Anna is my 2x great-grandmother and she and her brother Albert lived in Ohio by 1860.

Translation: Groom Albert Rohrer, shoemaker in Ellwangen, Catholic, parents Albert Rohrer, ? Rohrer, maiden name ?, widower. Bride Waldburg Fischer from Ellwangen, Catholic, parents Heinrich Fisher, Theres Dilger, unmarried. Groom born 22 Sept 1809 in Ellwangen, bride born 2 Oct 1818 in Ellwangen, no permission needed, proclamation read on 4, 11, 18 October, actual marriage 19 October [1846].

The record above is for the marriage of Albert Rohrer and Ursala Wailbl on Sept. 23, 1801 at St. Vitus. They were my 4x great-grandparents. There were also family and christening records at St. Vitus for their children Johann, born in 1805 and Albert, born in 1809.

Translation: 23rd of September
Matrimonially joined together are by Reverend Frid. Bechdolf the honest young man [bachelor]
Albert Röhrer from Ellwangen Johannes Röhrer and Barbara, married couple, legitimate son,
To the wise virgin [maiden] Ursula Waibl [in is a female ending] from Ellwangen, Johann Michael Waib, Deceased and Catharina his wife legitimate daughter: witnesses were Michael
Zieglbaur and Johannes Röhrer from Ellwangen.

The picture of St. Vitus is from Wikipedia. Thanks to Marj for sending copies of the records and for getting assistance with the translations! Thanks to Heather of Leaves for Trees for her tip on using Excel for ancestor graphics.

Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - First Names

March 3 — Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

The name Kathryn is usually thought to derive from the Greek word for pure and is related to the Greek word "katharsis".

 
Some famous Kathryns include saints Catherine of Alexandira and Catherine of Siena, actresses Katharine Hepburn, Catherine Zeta Jones and Cate Blanchett, and royalty such as Catherine the Great, Catherine de' Medici, three wives of Henry VIII (Catherine of Aragon, Kathryn Howard, and Katherine Parr), and of course, Princess Kate Middleton.

My parents said they chose the name since it was used on both sides of the family. As for the spelling of my name, they said they just liked it! Since I've started researching my family tree, I've discovered several other Katherines, Catherines, and a Kate, but none with my spelling.

My parents must have really liked the name since they named my younger sister Karen. My sister and I were looking our names up in a book of baby names one day and when we got to Karen, it said, "Derived from Katherine". We had no idea that we essentially have the same name!

Here is a list of Kathryns and variations from my Family Tree:
Karen - sister
Edna Catherine Willis - grandmother
Mary Catherine Gast - great-grandmother
Catherine Desch -  2x great-grandmother
Kate Covey - 2x great-grandmother
Katherine Maria Staenke - 3x great-grandmother
Mary Anna Katherine Hagedorn - 3x great-grandmother
Katharina Margaret Anthony - 3x great-grandmother
Catherine Harmon -  3x great-grandmother
Catharina Margaretha Panschard - 3x great-grandmother
Catharina Margaretha Pieper- 4x great-grandmother 
Katir Niehaus - Great-grand aunt
Catharine Niehaus  - 2nd great grand aunt

My graphic with the names was made at www.wordle.net.

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Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Favorite Photo

March 2 — Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This was taken in the late 1920s or early 1930s and shows my grandmother Anna Lee Pulskamp and her twin sister Emma Lee on either side of a mystery woman. The twins lived in Celina, Ohio and this may have been taken at the lake near there. I chose this picture since I always enjoy photos of the twins and I love a good mystery. My first guess for the mystery woman's identify would be their mother Mary Catherine Gast Pulskamp, but is that a nurse's cap on her head? As far as I know, Mary was not a nurse. If anyone can identify her, please let me know! The full photo is pictured below.

Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog is presenting her Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month series in honor of National Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Favorite Female Ancestor

Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog is running her Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month series again. This was one of the first set of prompts that I did on my blog in 2011 and I thought it would be interesting to go back through them and see how much I've learned. For some of the prompts, I will post updated information and for others, I will post something new.

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

In 2011, I posted about my two grandmothers, Anna Lee Pulskamp Creeden and Edna Willis Councill. This year, I'm choosing an ancestor that I didn't even know about in 2011.

I can't really choose a favorite, but one ancestor that I want to learn more about is Julia Creedan. Julia took the name Sister Mary Felix when she took her vows with the Sisters of Charity in 1872. That information helped me find her death certificate which gave both of her parents' names and a date of birth. With the parents' names and date of birth, I was able to find a transcription of her baptismal certificate. She was baptized as a Roman Catholic on July 3, 1842 in Carricapooka in the parish of Clondrohid, Ireland. Her parents were Patrick Creedan and Mary Coakley.

I believe that Julia is the brother of my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden, so it was exciting to not only find a sibling for my Irish ancestor, but parents' names and a location!

One thing I've discovered about my female ancestors is that many of them worked outside of the home. Julia is a good example of this since she worked for many years as a nun, nurse, and teacher.

To Do:

• Document the information that I already have for Julia
• Research her career as a nun, nurse and teacher
• Find out more about her parents and Clondrohid
• Order publications about the history of the Sisters of Charity

Fearless Females - Profile of Mary Ann Matson

March 31 — Pick one female ancestor and write a mini-profile (500 words or less).

Mary Matson in 1919

My great-great-grandmother Mary Ann Matson was born in Clinton County, Ohio on Sept. 11, 1851. She was the youngest of the 13 children of Asa Matson and Dorothy “Dolly” Clevenger. Mary's parents were born in Virginia and migrated to Clinton County, Ohio in the early 1800's. Four of Mary's brothers served in the Civil War and two died in the war while another was wounded.

On December 10, 1868, Mary was married to Timothy Creeden in Clinton County. She was 17 and Timothy was 22. Timothy was an Irish immigrant, born in 1846 in County Cork.

In the 1870 census, Timothy and Mary “Credon” have a son named Patrick born in November, 1869. Timothy is listed as a farmer and they are living in the Richland Township next door to or with Mary's brother John Matson. Tragedy struck when Patrick died at the age of three in 1872. In the 1880 census, they are still in the Richland township and they have children James, Lizzie (Mary Elizabeth), Dennis, and Daniel.

In January 1884, Mary and her family moved to Mercer County, Ohio where they bought 40 acres of land in the Hopewell township. (Details on Mercer Land Purchase) Tragedy struck again when their son James died in 1889 from typhoid fever. He was only 17 years old and is buried in Old Buck cemetery in Hopewell Township. John Matson is buried next to James.

Mary at her boarding house

Mary and Timothy's son Edward was born in April 1884. They had 4 more children in Mercer County: Ida Belle, Julia, Charles, and Joshua. Timothy died in December 1899 and left the land to Mary. On September 29, 1901 Mary granted a mortgage to Bessie Copeland for part of the land. Mary had already moved the family to a boarding house in town in Celina, Ohio. In the 1900 census, Mary is living with the six youngest children at the boarding house. Daniel is working for the railroad and Edward is a clerk. Charles and Julia are attending school while Ida Belle and Joshua are still at home. In 1910, Mary is listed as the Proprietor of a Boarding House and three of the children have jobs while living at the house with three boarders. More deaths struck the family as her son Charles lost his son Carl in 1912 and her son Daniel lost both of his children in 1915 and 1916. In 1920, only Joshua is still at home, although Ida Belle and her husband are possibly living at the house. Mary's occupation is listed as "None", so perhaps she was able to retire by then.

Mary died in 1925 at the age of 74 in Mercer County, Ohio. (Mary's Obituary) She had been a devout member of the Immaculate Conception Church while living in Mercer County and she was buried in the Catholic cemetery there. Several people from Clinton County attended her funeral, including some of her Matson family. She lived through a lot including the Civil War, the deaths of two children and three grandchildren, and her husband's early death, but was able to make a living and raise the younger children by herself.

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Once again, in honor of  National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.

Fearless Females - Words of Wisdom

March 30 — Did you receive any advice or words of wisdom from your mother or another female ancestor?

I was going through some old letters recently and ran across a card from my mother that said "Keep Smiling!". I don't even remember what the crisis of the day was, but I feel very fortunate that she is always there for encouragement when things get tough and for advice on all kinds of practical matters.

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Once again, in honor of  National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month..

Fearless Females - Trading Card

March 29 — Create a free Footnote Page or a Genealogy Trading Card at Big Huge Labs for a female ancestor. Some of you may have created your own card back in September 2009 following Sheri Fenley’s post over at The Educated Genealogist. This time, the card is for your female ancestor. Tell us about who you've selected and why and then post a link to what you've created.

Jimbob Chilcutt posted a template for Ancestor Cards on his MyFamily Chilcutt site, so I decided to choose a Chilcutt ancestor to try out the template.

Fearless Females - Friends

March 28 — Do you remember your mother’s best friend? Your grandmother’s? How and where did they meet? How long were they friends? What activities did they share?

My mother and her best friend Laura met when we moved into our neighborhood in Florida. I was four years old and Laura's daughter was about the same age as me. They came over to introduce themselves shortly after we moved there and we all hit it off. My mother and Laura shared a lot of activities with the kids, including Girl Scouts, dance recitals, shopping trips and camping trips in the Keys. Laura was always at the center of the activities and used to take us horseback riding and to the beach. We used to have a great Halloween celebration in the neighborhood and Laura's wicked witch with her big boiling pot was legendary! Laura passed away a few years ago and I know my mother still misses her.

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Once again, in honor of  National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month..

Fearless Females - Immigration

March 27 — Do you know the immigration story of one or more female ancestors? Do you have any passenger lists, passports, or other documentation? Interesting family stories?

The United Kingdom

I have not had much success finding definite passenger lists or immigration documentation for any of my ancestors.

In 1845, my Pulskamp ancestors Herman Heinrich Pulskamp and his wife Maria Katherine Steinke Pulskamp came to Franklin County, IN with their children, but I don't have any documentation on what ship they came over on.

My Niehaus ancestors Carl Theodor Heinrich Niehaus and Catharina Panshar Niehaus came over in 1865 according to Wildeshausen emigrants, but I've been unable to find a passenger list for them.

My mother's ancestors were all in the US by the 1700's, but I don't have the lines traced back far enough to know who the immigrant ancestors were.

I have a possible passenger list for my gg-grandfather Timothy Creeden on the United Kingdom in 1866. If that is the correct list, it appears that he came alone. He married in Ohio in 1868 and his wife's family also goes back into the US to at least the 1700's.

Some interesting info on the United Kingdom ship:

The UNITED KINGDOM was a 1,305 gross ton ship, length 245ft x beam 32.1ft, clipper stem, one funnel, three masts(ship rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a speed of 10 knots. There was accommodation for 96-saloon cabin, 182-forward cabin and 244-steerage class passengers. Built by Robert Steele & Co, Greenock, she was launched for the Anchor Line on 13th Jun.1857. She started her maiden voyage on 4th Aug.1857 when she left Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire, Ireland) for Madras with troops of Irish regiments for the Indian Mutiny. Her first Glasgow - Quebec - Montreal voyage started 15th Apr.1859 and on 30th Nov.1859 she started the first of her winter sailings between Glasgow and New York. From Aug.1865 she sailed to New York only, and on 19th Apr.1869 left New York for Glasgow and disappeared with the loss of 80 lives. [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1,p.451] [Merchant Fleets by Duncan Haws, vol.9, Anchor Line]